Pasta with Spinach and Beans
After a long weekend spent out of town, I was skeptical about what might be edible when I returned home. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that nothing had gone bad, and I was able to cobble Pasta with Spinach and Beans together for supper. I used chickpeas because that’s what I had, and you can, too, but white beans have a better texture for this dish. I do recommend using spinach instead of other greens, because this is a no-cook meal (mostly), and the tougher greens won’t wilt as readily.
Ingredients
1 lb spiral pasta
1 bunch raw spinach
1 can white/navy/great northern beans, drained
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
Cook the pasta using package instructions. Meanwhile, wash and chop the spinach. Saute the pine nuts in about 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pot (or a large bowl). Stir in the spinach, beans, garlic, remaining olive oil, pine nuts (plus leftover oil), cheese, salt, and pepper. Add a little more salt if you like, or perhaps some garlic salt. Serves 4-6.
Tags: beans, garlic, spinach, vegetarian cooking
